anyone get their missing money yet? its been 3 days for me and still nothing

This is such a relief to see it resolved! I was about to panic when I saw my payment was cut in half this week too. I'm glad I found this thread before spending all day trying to call. I'll keep an eye on my account over the next few days for the adjustment payment. Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it's so helpful to know we're not alone in dealing with these system glitches!

same here just applying to anything to check the boxes

I've been dealing with NYS unemployment for about 6 months now and learned the hard way about documentation. Here's what I found works: Online applications absolutely count - just save screenshots or confirmation emails. For job sites like Indeed, make sure you note the specific employer name, not just "applied through Indeed." Also, informational interviews count as networking activities, and so does attending career workshops or webinars. I use a simple spreadsheet with columns for date, employer/contact, position, method of contact, and any follow-up. The key is being able to show genuine effort - they care more about quality searches in your field than just hitting random apply buttons.

Just wait it out, the system will update eventually. I wouldn't stress too much about the exact amount until your claim is approved anyway.

Hey Marilyn! I went through this same confusion when I filed my claim a few months ago. The calculation Louisa mentioned is correct, but just to add some context - if you were making $18/hour and worked full-time for those 8 months, your benefit amount will likely be somewhere between $200-300 per week depending on your exact earnings pattern. The "pending" status is normal and should update within 1-2 weeks once they verify your employment history with your restaurant. In the meantime, you can try logging into your NY.gov account periodically to check for updates. The waiting is definitely stressful when you're trying to budget, but hang in there!

I went through the same confusion when I first started collecting! Here's what likely happened: Your $504 weekly benefit minus the part-time work reduction (they take away 25% of earnings over $126, so $3.50 for the $14 you went over) gives you about $500.50. Then if you have 10% federal tax withholding, that's another $50, bringing you down to around $450. If you also have state tax withholding (usually around 5-6%), that would take off another $25-30, getting you close to that $387 you received. The exact breakdown should show up in your payment history under "deductions" - it really helps to see it all itemized out!

I had a similar experience when I started collecting unemployment in NY! One thing that caught me off guard was that the weekly benefit amount they quote you initially doesn't include any withholdings or reductions. I'd recommend downloading your payment history from the DOL website and looking at each payment line by line - it shows exactly what was deducted and why. Also, keep detailed records of any part-time work you report because the calculations can get complex when you're earning different amounts each week. The good news is once you understand the formula, it becomes much more predictable for budgeting purposes.

Ok everyone, I FINALLY got through this morning at 8:02am! The wait was only 17 minutes instead of 2+ hours. The issue was that they needed additional verification for my identity (exactly what you mentioned @user7). They're sending me a link to upload documents. Thank you all for your help and suggestions!

Congrats on getting through @Maya! That's such a relief after all that frustration. For anyone else still struggling - I've had success with the early morning strategy too. Also wanted to add that if you're dealing with identity verification issues, make sure your documents are recent (within the last 6 months) and that all text is clearly readable. I had to resubmit mine twice because the first photos were too blurry. The whole process took about 10 business days once I got the documents right.